Focusing device



* Oct. 5 1'92..

c. E. GODLEYA FocUsING DEVICE Filed May 6. 1926 yLAG/023223 K .Zfnveol'arf @6m/ ef E GL01/y a A Y 'may with the adjusting if the shell Patented Get. 5, 1926.`

CHARLES E. GODLEY, OF DETROIT, .MIGHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO EDMUNDS 8c JONES COR- PORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF NEW' YORK. V

Focusrite nnv'ron Application led May 6, 1926. Serial No. 107,095.

My invention relates to means for supporting a lamp-socket andjfor moving the socket longitudinally of the supporting means to shift the position of the filament of a lamp-bulb mounted in the socket, and more particularly to the class'of lamp focus-v ing devices in which a socket is movable by means of a screw which is operativelyinterposed between the socket shell and a thrust member connected to a holder for the socket.

In automobile headlights employing this class of focusing arrangements, it has heretofore been customary to fasten thev thrust member to a tubular holder carried by the reflector of the lamp and to have the head of the focus-adjusting screw project through a perforation in the back of the lamp c asing. In practice, this guiding perforation in the casing (which should slidably fitthe Screw head to excludeI rain and dust from the casing) is .rarelyV in alinement with the holder by which the socket shell is slidably carried, thereby causing a vcramping of this shell in the holder and interfering closely fit-s the holder. On the other hand, if` the holder fits Athe shell so looselyas to avoid this cramping, the socket shell not only may rattle in the holder but also is apt to be tilted so as to move the lamp filament off the axis of the reflector on which theholder is mounted. y j

My present invention aims to overcome all adjusting screw, and by arranging thrust means so that they will rigidly space the head of the screw from the holder longitudinally of the latter while permitting rela* tive movements of these partsin other' directions to compensate for any lack of alinementvbetween the holder and the` guide for the screw head. It also provides for an assembly of the parts in'which a single spring holds the thrust vmember on the holder and permits the said movement of the thrust member with respect to the holder.

Still further and also more detailed objects will appear from the following-specification and` from the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section through aportion of. an automobile headlamp equipped with .an embpdment ,of my invention, with the reflector' and theback of the lamp casf ing'shown in section. l

Fig. Qis a bottom view of the same parts, with the reflector and the'lamp casing omitte Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line `3--3 of Fig. 1. l

Fig. 4- is a plan.y view of the sheet metal blank from which the doubly forked member of my focusing device is formed. j

Fig. 5 shows the sheet metal blank from which the companion singly forked member is formed. 4

In' the drawings, the reflector 1 has itsI usual axial perforation substantially in alinement with the bore of an eyelet 2 which is clinched through a perforation in the back 3 of the lamp. `Extending rearward of the reflector and coaxial with the reflector is a tubular holder 4 which is vclinched at its forward end to the reflector. Slidably fitting the bore of'this holder is the shell v5 ofa lamp-socket, which shell has bayonet slot-s 6 at itsforward end for interlocking with the usual anchoring pins on a lamp- `bulb 7. The bottom 5A of this socket shell has a rearwardly directed tubular extension `8 extending through a bore 9 in the bight 10 of a U-shaped member which has its arms 11 directed rearwardly, and the free endof the extension 8 is flared outwardly as shown in Fig. 1 to clamp this tubular member rigidly to thebo'ttom of the socket shell. of these difficulties by providing a universal joint between the socket shell and the Fitting snugly between the said arms 11 are the two forwardly directed arms 12 of a doubly forked member which has its rearwardly directed arms 13 perforated to serve as journals for a shaft 14 into which the adjusting screwl is threaded transversely of 'that shaft, so that thisshaft serves as a nut. The screw 15 has its headfprovided with a peripheral groove `15A spacing a forward collar 15B from the rear end 15C of the screw head, and this rear end l(which has the usual transverse slot to receiveV a screw-driver) extends slidably into or through the bore of the eyelet. 2. f

, Interposed between the holder 4 and the screw is a thrust member which has one arm 16 extending longitudinally of the holder and which has a nub 17 fitting into a lateral perforation in the holder to connect, the thrust member pivotally to the holder. The thrust member also includes a rear arm l' extending across the axis ofthe holder and havingfthe adjusting,` screw 1 5 swivelediin it as hereafter described, and this screw preferably has an enlarged forward end D disposed forwardly ofthe arm .18' to* limitthe possible rearward movement of the screw with respect to that arm. I

To hold the thrust member in its said pivoting relation, l provide a contractile bowed spring 19 which partially encircles the holder, and which has-its lower portion engine;v ing the bottom of the holder while its upper part presses .downwardly against thearm 16 of vthe thrust member. This spring andthe holder desirably have interfitting formations, such as a longitudinal ridge onthe holder anda Correspending` humprlQB on the spring' to prevent the spring from `rotating; on the" holder along;l with Ythe; thrust member, and desiiablyA provide the socket shell 5l with a projection 22 .entering the lgroove formed by the hump 20 so as to prevent this shell from rotatingP Ain theholder.

The upper part of the spring" 19 has a downwardly directed'nub 2l enteringfa recess inthe arm 16 to cooperate vwith the nub 17 in pivoting the (thrust .member .to the holder. This nub 17 preferably vis of such a length as to project throughl the pivoting` perforation in the holden and' intofengagement with thesocket shell 5, sol that the rsprinpafacts through this-y nub tofclampthe socket shell against ythe bottom of the bore of the holderythereby taking up any lost motion which Vmigrht beV due to a loose iit of this shell'in the holder.

rlhe rear arm 18 of the thrust member is desirably forked to provide two fork. arms extending through the groove 15A` so as to bc disposed' between,` the longitudinally spaced parts 15B andlC of' the screw "head, thereby affording' the'swiveling connection between the arm 18 and the adjusting` screw, and these forks desirably are curved about an axis correspondingto the axis of the nut 14! when this nut is inits medial position of adjustment.

1With the parts thus arranged, and with the forward arms 12 of the double forked member pivoted to the 'armsy 11' of the' U- shaped member byany suitable means-as by a cotter pin 21-this pivotinga cooperates with the journaling' ofthe nut'14 to 'afford a universal joint between the screw and the socket shell to which the arms 11 are rigidly connected. Consequently, the screw can rock about the axis of the said journalingto compensate for variations the 'alinement of the holder andtheeyelet- 2` in one'direction, such movement .being permitted by the; 'curving' of the forks of the arm 18;

c while 'the ypivoting.of the thrust member to J any lateral :displacement vof' the ""eye'let axis neces-ee with respect to that of the holder.l 1n other words., thescrew head is rigidly spaced from the holder longitudinally of the latter but is free to mov-e in all other directions with respect to the holder.

vlllowever, whi'lel have illustrated and described an embodiment in which the arms 11 (which effectively are a part of the socket shell) formparts `of an initially separate U- shaped member, I do not wish to be limited tothis or other details of the construction and arrangement thus disclosed, it being ob,- vious that many changes --might be made without departinluveither from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims.

'l claim asl my invention: v

gl. ln ya lamp, a reflector, :a tubular socketholder mounted onand opening through the reflectoigfa lamp body having aperfotntion approximately injaxial alinement with the said holder, a lamp socket havingjits shell slidablyy mounted jin the said holder; and a focusing devicecarried by the said holder for slidingY the socketin thelatter l{the focusing,- device comprising'a screw having. its head projecting into the said perforation, a nut` threaded .on the screw, a universal joint interposed between the nut, and the socket shell, and-a thrust member-carried by the holder, the screw-having a swivelingconnection to thethru'stmember.

2. rif-lamp-con'structionasy per claim 1,

'in'which the thrust l'member is pivote'd upon theholder.

LA lamp construction asper claim l, in

' which the thrust member is piyoted upon the holder and'fin which the swiveling connection ofthe thrust member tol the screw permits 'movement ofl the screw in ay plane vextending through the Laxis of the pivotalcon nection between the thrust member .and the holder'.

4. A lampconstruction as per claim/l, in which the helder has a `lateraliperforation and the 'thrust f member has a projection journaled yin the 'last named perforation and engaging the socket shell; in combinationV With spring means for pressing); the vsaid" pr-ok ject-ion against 'the socket shell.

lamp construction 4'as per claim l, in whichthe holder has a lateral perfora- ,tiony and the `thrust member has a'projection journaled in the last named perforation 1;, in eombinationwith an arcuate 4spring extending partly around the holder .and

having 'a portionjengaging'the exterior of the holder, vthe springk having vanother vportion engaging vthe outer-face' of the thrust member, the Lthrust member and the spring having interengaging formations in alinement with the last 'named perforation.

y 6. A lamp construction as per claim' 1, in which the *screw has a `peripheral groove,

and in which the( thrust 'member 'has a faked portion 4eizt-'ending," transversely of the screw and disposed with the shanks of the forks extending through the groove at opposite sides of the axis of the screw.

7. A lamp construction as per claim l, in which the screw has a peripheral groove, and in which the thrust member has a forked portion disposed with the Shanks of the forks extending through the groove at opposite sides of the axis of the screw, the said forked portion being curved about .an axis corresponding substantially to the axis of the nut when the nut is in its medial position.

8. A lamp construction as per claim 1,

- in which the universal joint comprises a pair vof arms fast upon, and extending rearwardly from the socket shell; and a member pivoted to the nut and to the said arms on relatively transverse axes.

9. A lamp construction as per claim l, in which the universal` joint comprises a pair of arms fast upon, and extending rearwardlyv from the socket shell, and' a member having a pair of arms in which the nut is j ournalcd; the last named member also having a second pair of arms pivoted tothe arms on vthe socket shell on an axis at right angles to the axis of the nut.

10. In a lamp, a reflector, a tubularsocketholder mounted on and opening through the reflector, a lamp body having a perforation approximately in axial alinement with the said holder, a lamp socket having its shell slidably mounted inA the lsaid holder; and a focusing device carried by the said holder for sliding the socket in the latter ;v the focusing device comprising av screw having its head projectinginto the said perforation, a nut threaded on the screw, a universal joint interposed between the nut .and the socket shell, and thrust means interposed between the head of the screw and the holder for rigidly spacing the screw `head from the holder longitudinally of `the latter while permitting movement of the screw head with respect to the holder in all other directions. Signed at Detroit, Michigan, April 28th, 1926. f

CHARLES E. GODLEY. 

